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The past few months have had me out exploring actual, honest to goodness single track trails. This is a transition from paved and dirt road exploring of which the Suzuki V-Strom excels. An old Suzuki DR 350 dual sport is my new tool for back country motorcycle adventures.

The high-viz yellow color of the Fly Racing Trekker dual sport helmet really stands out.

Dual sport riding requires different gear than paved and dirt roads. The main difference is that riding trails requires a good amount of physical activity. This exertion requires airflow to keep the rider’s body from overheating. Heavy breathing quickly fogs up helmet screens, too.  So my search for quality and affordable dual sport riding gear began. After a bit of poking around, the Fly Racing Trekker dual sport helmet was the first piece of my off-road kit that was purchased.

The first thing that caught my attention about the Fly Racing Trekker helmet is the option to use the face shield or a pair goggles. When in place, the face shield makes paved travel easy without having to fuss with goggles. It is nice to have the option of swapping to goggles. The opening seems to be sufficient enough for goggles, but I haven’t yet tried to use them. The shield does a good job when moving. It has a holding point about half-way open and then it drops all the way to the closed position. During cool-weather rides where temps are near or at freezing, this doesn’t allow sufficient air flow to keep the shield and my glasses from fogging up. I modified the shield to stay slightly open to allow air in without having it rush up to make my eyes water. It required drilling a small hole in the shield. This modification doesn’t allow as tight of a seal when closed.

Available colors include black, matte black, silver, white and high-viz yellow. The high-viz yellow color screams “Start Seeing Motorcyclists.” High-viz really stands out against the backdrop of the back country woods or among the cagers in traffic. This is important to me while riding during hunting season in the woods or year round in traffic where it is open season on motorcyclists.

The fit of the helmet is actually quite nice. I have worn it all day on several occasions now without a single hot-spot caused from fitment issues. The Fly Trekker honestly feels like a much more expensive helmet. I tried on the much more expensive dual sport helmets from Shoei and Arai and couldn’t justify the $400 or more to purchase them. In hind sight, that was a very good decision. My local dealership explained that the added cost was because of better materials that created a more comfortable helmet. The Fly Trekker is a very comfortable helmet for a fraction of the cost.

Overall Quality – A

Ample venting of the Fly Racing Trekker DS helmet.

The Fly Trekker is a high quality helmet at a discount price. It allows good visibility for the rider, is fairly quiet and is both DOT and ECE approved for protection. The paint finish is high quality with few imperfections (it’s a dirt/adventure helmet so it is bound to be scratched before too long anyways). The angular face shield is easy to see out of with minimal distortion. The distortion is so minor that it is not an issue for me, personally. The wide shield opening allows excellent side to side visibility. Air flows through the shield decent enough for mild to warm temperatures. I wish the shield could be cracked open for cool and damp winter riding conditions found here in the Pacific Northwest.

Take note that there are reports of the face opening being too small for some goggles. This is something to check if it is a priority for you.

Comfort – A

As mentioned above, The Fly Trekker is a very comfortable helmet. I have worn it on several all-day rides without any pressure hotspots. In fact, I would put it up against my much more expensive Italian-made street helmet for comfort. The fact that it is a full coverage helmet means that I have to take off my glasses to put on or take off the helmet. This is a minor convenience issue that would occurs with any full coverage, non-modular helmet.

Comfort is slightly affected with speeds above 75 mph. At higher speeds there is a hint of lift from the dual-sport style visor. This only occurs on my dirt bike, which has me reaching deep into the carburetor to sustain 75 mph. The helmet is good for maxed out speeds on my Suzuki V-Strom with a windshield.

A minor modification using a drill allowed the shield to stay slightly open. In stock form, it goes from half open to closed.

Bang for Your Buck – A+

This is the first perfect score that I have ever given on a product review. The Fly Trekker dual-sport helmet has a suggested retail price of $140. It can be found in dealerships and online for as little as $125. It would be hard to find a helmet that performed as well for twice that amount. This is the best value dual sport motorcycle helmet on the market.

I purchased this helmet and am pleased that it will be my go-to dual sport helmet for several years.

A recent realization is that a certain motorcycle company has always been a part of my life. It all started when my father brought home an early 70’s Suzuki TC90. It was a barn find that he took home for the price of free! He tuned it up, put tires, chain, sprocket and grips on it and we fired it up to ride around the yard.

This TC 90 is very similar to mine as a kid. Photo courtesy of http://maddmedic.files.wordpress.com

This was the bike that my sister immediately learned that motorcycling was not for her. The incredibly well-executed wheelie in our yard landed her and the bike in the shrubs that lined the perimeter of our yard. Her decision to not ride was solidified as my parents pulled the numerous woody thorns that were 2-3 inches in length from her flesh.

A couple other Japanese branded machines filled my teenage years. It wasn’t until college that the big “S” made another appearance. This time, I was on the lookout for affordable commuting around campus and town. This really made little sense as my college in the far reaches of Northern Minnesota had a limited riding season. For a mere $400, I picked up a 1977 Suzuki GS400X. The bike was a gas-sipping blast. I got my endorsement on that bike. Rode the wheels, chain and very worn sprocket off that bike during the summer. A beautiful young woman donned a helmet and leather jacket to go on many rides with me. That little 400cc bike gave me enough badass credo that I won her over. Later that year, I put a ring on that woman’s finger and she said “yes.”

The GR 650 Tempter is now owned by my dad.

Fresh out of college I landed a job with the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center. It was a great gig that let me put my college training to use with my passion for two wheels. Of course, I was flat broke at the time and without a motorcycle. That situation felt a bit off. The fire in my gut needed two wheels again. That’s when a 1984 Suzuki GR650 Tempter entered my garage. It was a real beast of a bike, but with some elbow grease it took my new wife and I on numerous trips. I never did take it much further than 200 miles from home. The weak metal of the gas tank constantly sprung leaks. One such pin-hole leak sprung as I was dressed in a suit and commuting to work. The stench of gasoline filled the office air. My colleagues asked that I leave! The bike remained parked as I took the city bus home. People on the bus were obviously disturbed by the gas smell, but couldn’t place from where it was coming. It seemed to come from the direction of the guy decked out in a business suit, but it couldn’t be him that smells this bad.

At this point, my wife and I had decent jobs and we worked on the side managing a 36-unit apartment building. Being a country kid that was stuck in the city, there was a tremendous need within me to get out and explore rural America. Managing that apartment building was like having three extra jobs, but it allowed me to pick up a new motorcycle. This time, I didn’t pick up some 20-30 year old bike. This was going to be my first (and only to this point) new bike.

There were many options for new motorcycles. It was a 2007 Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom that fit my need for a commuting and touring steed. All the hard work paid off as I paid cash for the bike.

The bike needed a strong name that depicted its adventurous personality. When spoken, the name needed to elicit day dreams of far off places. Victor Stromboli was born.

Here we are several years and nearly 50,000 miles later. In a garage with four motorcycles in it, Victor is still my primary motorcycle. It has taken us across the country on several trips, over the mountains, down fire service roads and has gotten me in over my head on several dirt trails.

The "new" Suzuki in my garage. The 1991 Suzuki DR 350S. It's proving to be a fun dual sport for trail exploration.

It is the last situation that recently got me looking for another motorcycle. A limited budget and a deep internal “need” for a capable off-road explorer got me researching the many small to mid-size dual sport bikes available on the used market. Suzuki answers the call again. A 1991 Suzuki DR350S fit my desire for a simple motorcycle that could get to the single track trails on its own accord and still manage the rugged terrain.

I am not tied to any particular brand of motorcycle. I don’t count myself as a “Suzuki” guy. It just so happens that the company always has a reliable, affordable and good solution to my motorcycling demands. This is a recent realization for me that 90 percent of the miles that I’ve put on motorcycles has been on a single brand, Suzuki.

Kudos to you, Suzuki. I may in fact be a “Suzuki” guy.